This application is based upon and claims the benefit of priority from the prior Japanese Patent Applications No. 2001-74599 filed Mar. 15, 2001; No. 2001-74600 filed Mar. 15, 2001; No. 2001-74601 filed Mar. 15, 2001; No. 2001-86160 filed Mar. 23, 2001; No. 2001-111570 filed Apr. 10, 2001; and No. 2002-20399 filed Jan. 29, 2002, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a data recording and reproducing apparatus and a data reproducing apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
A voice recording and reproducing apparatus having a reproduction mode (player mode) capable of reproducing music data distributed by a pay database and the like and a recording and reproducing mode (voice memo mode or recorder mode) capable of recording voice data in an internal memory using a built-in microphone or reproducing it as operating modes, has recently been commercialized as one data recording and reproducing apparatus.
The above voice recording and reproducing apparatus has various problems as described above.
For example, when a user wishes to record voice data suddenly while he or she is listening to the voice data in a reproduction mode, the user usually stops a reproducing operation first, switches an operating mode from the reproduction mode to a recording and reproducing mode, and then pushing a recording button or the like to start recording.
The foregoing operations can smoothly be performed by persons who are used thereto. However, persons who are in a hurry or who are unaccustomed to the operations may require a lot of time or make a mistake, with the result that they will lose an opportunity to record a voice.
When a user wishes to reproduce a target reproduction position in the voice recording and reproducing apparatus, he or she has to repeat the following operation. Looking at a counter or the like, the user operates a fast-forward or fast-reverse switch to carry out a fast-forward or fast-reverse operation. Then, the user stops the operation if he or she reaches an approximate target position and reproduces a voice to confirm whether his or her desired voice is reproduced or not.
In order to resolve the above problem, a method of performing a fast-forward or fast-reverse operation while reproducing a voice can be considered. In this method, however, a target position is easy to find, but a fast-forward or fast-reverse operation has to be performed concurrently with reproduction. The speed of retrieval cannot be increased so greatly in terms of easiness to hear a reproduced voice, the load of a CPU, etc. and conversely the ability of retrieval becomes worse if a user can confirm an approximate position without reproducing any contents.
Some voice recording and reproducing apparatuses employ a plurality of coding schemes for coding voice data. In order to perform a fast-forward or fast-reverse operation while reproducing voice data, algorithm has to be prepared for each of the coding schemes, which causes a problem of increasing necessary internal memories.
For example, Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication No. 11-65600 discloses an apparatus for automatically making a beep at operator""s preset time and then reproducing voice data designated in advance.
Assume that the foregoing automatic reproducing function is added to an apparatus with the above player mode and recorder mode. If an operating mode is set in the recorder mode at the preset time when music data of the player mode is designated as one to be reproduced automatically, the voice data to be reproduced automatically cannot be reproduced.
Accordingly, a first object of the invention is to provide a data recording and reproducing apparatus capable of quickly performing a recording operation even in the reproduction mode as an operating mode.
A second object of the invention is to provide a data recording and reproducing apparatus that is excellent in retrieval ability of voice data.
A third object of the invention is to provide a data recording and reproducing apparatus that prevents audio data of different recording levels from being accidentally reproduced at high-volume levels when the audio data is reproduced.
A fourth object of the invention is to provide a data recording and reproducing apparatus capable of reliably reproducing voice data that is set as a target to be reproduced automatically.
In order to attain the above objects, a data recording and reproducing apparatus according to the present invention, which has a reproduction-only mode capable of reproducing a voice file and a recording and reproducing mode capable of recording and reproducing a voice file as an operating mode, comprises:
operating mode switching means for automatically switching the operating mode to the recording and reproducing mode when an instruction to record a voice file is given in the reproduction-only mode; and
recording means for recording the voice file after the operating mode is switched to the reproduction-only mode.
A data recording and reproducing apparatus according to the present invention, which has a first operating mode capable of processing a voice file coded by a first coding scheme and a second operating mode capable of processing a voice file coded by a second coding scheme, comprises:
operating mode switching means for automatically switching an operating mode to the second operating mode when an instruction to record a voice file is given in the first operating mode; and
recording means for recording the voice file by the second coding scheme after the operating mode is switched to the second operating mode.
A data recording and reproducing apparatus according to the present invention, comprises:
search means for fast-forwarding or fast-reversing voice data;
reproducing means for reproducing voice data; and
control means for controlling reproduction of the fast-forwarded or fast-reversed voice data in accordance with a coding scheme of the voice data.
A data recording and reproducing apparatus according to the present invention, which has a player mode serving as an operating mode exclusively for reproduction of voice data and a recorder mode serving as an operating mode capable of recording and reproducing voice data, comprises:
search means for fast-forwarding or fast-reversing voice data;
reproducing means for reproducing voice data; and
control means for controlling reproduction of the fast-forwarded or fast-reversed voice data in accordance with the operating modes.
A data recording and reproducing apparatus according to the present invention, which records and reproduces a plurality of types of audio data, comprises:
setting means for setting an upper limit of a reproduction level of at least one of the plurality of types of audio data;
reproduction level adjusting means for indicating a reproduction level of the audio data; and
reproduction level control means for controlling a reproduction level indicated by the reproduction level adjusting means such that the reproduction level is the upper limit when the reproduction level exceeds the upper limit when the at least one of the plurality of types of audio data is reproduced.
A data recording and reproducing apparatus according to the present invention, which has a first operating mode capable of recording and reproducing an audio signal and a second operating mode exclusively for reproducing an audio signal, comprises setting means for setting an upper limit of a reproduction level when audio data is reproduced in the second operating mode.
A data recording and reproducing apparatus according to the present invention, which has a first operating mode capable of processing first coded data and a second operating mode capable of processing second data whose sound quality is higher than that of the first coded data, comprising:
warning means for giving a warning when a volume value is a given value or more when an operating mode is shifted to the above operating mode; and
inhibiting means for inhibiting voice data from being reproduced until a given operation is performed when the volume value is the given value or more when the operating mode is shifted to the above operating mode.
A data recording and reproducing apparatus according to the present invention, which has a first operating mode capable of processing first coded data and a second operating mode capable of processing second data whose sound quality is higher than that of the first coded data, comprises:
warning means for giving a warning when a volume value is a given value or more when an operating mode is shifted to the above operating mode,
wherein the warning means gives the warning and the inhibiting means inhibits the reproduction only when the first operating mode is shifted to the second operating mode.
A data recording and reproducing apparatus according to the present invention, which has a first operating mode capable of processing first coded data and a second operating mode capable of processing second data whose sound quality is higher than that of the first coded data, comprises:
warning means for giving a warning when a volume value is a given value or more when an operating mode is shifted to the above operating mode; and
releasing means for releasing inhibition of reproduction of the voice data when the volume value is set to the given value or less while the reproduction of voice data is being inhibited.
A data reproducing apparatus according to the present invention, which has a first operating mode capable of reproducing a voice file coded by a first coding scheme and a second operating mode capable of reproducing a voice file coded by a second coding scheme, comprises:
time setting means for setting arbitrary set time;
selecting means for selecting an arbitrary voice file;
reproducing means for reproducing a voice file;
control means for performing control to reproduce the selected voice file when an operating mode in which the set time comes corresponds to an operating mode capable of reproducing the selected voice file; and
warning means for giving a warning when the operating mode in which the set time comes differs from the operating mode capable of reproducing the selected voice file.
A data reproducing apparatus according to the present invention, which is capable of recording a first voice file processable only in a first operating mode and a second voice file processable only in a second operating mode, comprises:
time setting means for setting arbitrary set time;
selecting means for selecting an arbitrary voice file;
reproducing means for reproducing a voice file;
control means for performing control to reproduce the selected voice file when an operating mode in which the set time comes corresponds to an operating mode corresponding to the selected voice file; and
warning means for giving a warning when the operating mode in which the set time comes differs from the operating mode capable of reproducing the selected voice file.
A data reproducing apparatus according to the present invention, which has a first operating mode capable of reproducing a voice file coded by a first coding scheme and a second operating mode capable of reproducing a voice file coded by a second coding scheme, comprises:
time setting means for setting arbitrary set time;
selecting means for selecting an arbitrary voice file;
reproducing means for reproducing a voice file; and
control means for performing control to reproduce the selected voice file when an operating mode is an operating mode capable of reproducing the selected voice file when the set time comes, and change the operating mode to an operating mode corresponding to the selected voice file when the operating mode is not the an operating mode capable of reproducing the selected voice file and then reproduce the selected voice file.
A data reproducing apparatus according to the present invention, which is capable of recording a first voice file processable only in a first operating mode and a second voice file processable only in a second operating mode, comprises:
time setting means for setting arbitrary set time;
selecting means for selecting an arbitrary voice file;
reproducing means for reproducing a voice file; and
control means for performing control to reproduce the selected voice file when an operating mode is an operating mode corresponds to the selected voice file when the set time comes, and changes the operating mode to the operating mode corresponding to the selected voice file when the operating mode is not the operating mode corresponding to the selected voice file and then reproducing the selected voice file.
Additional objects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in the description which follows, and in part will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention. The objects and advantages of the invention may be realized and obtained by means of the instrumentalities and combinations particularly pointed out hereinafter.